


Exchanging Crowns

by Softlight



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: F/F, M/M, There's a wedding!, Wedding Fluff, a gay wedding!, akielon wedding traditions, and it's happy, guys it's so gay, super gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 04:55:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11662059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Softlight/pseuds/Softlight
Summary: “Tease.”“Lover.”“Mine.”“Yes, Laurent.  I’m all yours.”





	Exchanging Crowns

**Author's Note:**

> I'M LATE, I'M LATE FOR A VERY IMPORTANT DATE. So yes, I'm a day behind (maybe two now, depending on time zone) for CaPri Week 2017, but I made this way longer than it was supposed to be, so hopefully that makes up for it! And, surprise, it's fluff! So please enjoy!

“We’re all sorted, then.  The ceremony is planned, guest list trimmed, everything is done except the damned thing itself.”  Laurent felt a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, the quiet release of ecstasy in his chest at finally finishing months upon months of wedding preparation.

Their wedding consultant, Reanon, smiled, but didn’t meet his eyes.  “Well, there is a couple more, ah,  _ delicate _ issues to address.”  Damen’s hand brushed over his own, giving a gentle squeeze, but Laurent slid his hand out from underneath him and narrowed his eyes at the man across the table.

“How do you mean,  _ delicate _ ?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Reanon tittered, sending a pleading look towards Damen as he shuffled his papers.  Damen sighed, leaning into Laurent.

“Laurent, my love, my darling, my sweet clementine-”

“Damen.”

“- love of my life, as you know, our wedding is also our respective coronations.  I will be dubbed Consort to the King of Vere, and you will become Consort to the King of Akielos.  We are exchanging the traditional gifts, as Veretian custom dubs any marriage incomplete without them.  I was hoping you’d be open to the Akielon tradition of exchanging crowns.”

Laurent blinked once, twice, before resuming his frosty glare, now redirected at his betrothed.  He had no pity for Damen, who knew very well that he  _ despised  _ being left in the dark.  “Go on.”

Damen ran a hand through his thick curls, chest and cheeks turning dark with nerves.  “When a King or Queen marries, they and their chosen have crowns made for the other, and they are exchanged during the ceremony.  So, if you would say yes, you would create a crown for me, and I one for you, and we would crown each other during the ceremony.”

“I thought it would speak volumes about the unification of Akielos and Vere, as well,” Reanon added in hastily, his plastered smile cracking.  “It shows your level of respect for the other, and would help dispel any of the, ah, nasty rumors left milling about after Damen’s time in your service.”

This time  _ Damen _ , bless him, set the man a cutting glance, effectively silencing him before turning back.  “I want to do it for more than that,” he said, eyes soft.  “It’s tradition, and I want to show the world that you are my chosen.  I chose you, and I want to show that.”  Damen reached for his hand again, and Laurent didn’t pull away.  “Are you okay with that?”

Laurent smiled, squeezing back before pulling away.  “Of course.  What I am not okay with, Damen, pain in my royal ass, is you waiting until  _ nine _ months before the wedding to ask.  As though we don’t have enough to do and then check, double check, and triple check!  The audacity of you, truly,  _ sweetheart _ , I’m astounded.  You fucking prick.”

“I love you too,” Damen replied, rolling his eyes as he pressed a kiss onto Laurent’s cheek.  “And I’m sure you’ll come up with something absolutely brilliant.”

“Obviously.  It’s you I’m worried about.  I have to wear this crown for the rest of our lives, Damen, you can’t fuck it up.”  Laurent tied his hair up with the leather tie around his wrist, turning back to Reanon.  “Tell me you have someone we can each meet with to design, and craftsmen at the ready, and, of course, materials-”

“All was set up the moment Damen approached me with the idea,” he flubbed, pulling at his collar.  “I can have meetings set up as early as the next hour, provided everyone is free.”

“They’ll be free, and they’ll be here in the next hour.”  Laurent tilted his head, not taking his eyes of Reanon.  “Or you’ll see just what a cast-iron  _ bitch _ I can be.”  Reanon paled, blabbering and bowing out of the room with haste.

“You didn’t have to threaten the poor man.  He’s going to have a heart attack before you even get to double check everything he does,” Damen complained, resting his head on the top of Laurent’s hair.  “You have to give him a chance, he done everything well so far.”

“Mhm.  Everything, except listening to you when you undoubtedly said that it was a  _ great _ idea to spring something unexpected on me and have him lead the charge.   _ That _ was rather idiotic.”

Damen shifted, letting out a small laugh.  “I suppose it was.  But I half expected you to already have all the information about it tucked away in that wedding book stash of yours that’s overtaking the bedroom.  Can you blame me for overestimating your thirst for knowledge?”

“Nice save.”  Laurent leaned closer into Damen’s chest, ignoring the arm of the chair that dug into his ribs.  He closed his eyes, savoring in the warmth that Damen always gave him.  “I just want to be married already and call you my husband.  Half me wants to say fuck the frills and just call an officiant and get it over with right now.  The rational half says that our countries would rise as one and demand both our heads if we did that.  And I really want all the food we selected, and the ceremony sounds beautiful-”

“But exhausting,” Damen finished, running his hands over Laurent’s knuckles.  “I know, I’m right beside you, going through it all.  But it’s going to be beautiful, and you know you love it.”

Laurent snorted.  “I know I love you, and that’s about it.”

“That’s all that matters.”  Damen kissed him, gently, before pulling away.  “I should go reassure Reanon that you’re actually thrilled with this new development before he runs away screaming.”

“It’s your job to make men run away screaming.  I make them run away crying.”

“Laurent.”

“Fine, go and be a hero to our poor wedding planner.”  He pulled him in for one more kiss, reveling in the sweet taste of tangerine on Damen’s lips.  “I’ll see you tonight.  And you better be prepared to make this up to me.”

“Why do you think I spring surprises on you?” Damen said with a wink.

* * *

 

“How’s this?” Kenna, his blacksmith, asked as she finished the sketch.

Laurent took in the rough draft, tracing over the smudge of charcoal with a finger.  “This would all be gold, correct?”

Kenna nodded, drawing his attention to the small circle within the design.  “In these circles along the side would be emeralds, and in the center-”

“Laurent, are you done yet?” Damen poked his head in through the door, hands over his ears.  “I finished ages ago!”

“I suppose I am finished now,  _ sweetheart _ .”  Turning back to Kenna with a frustrated smile, Laurent helped her pack up the papers and her samples as Damen shut the door.  “I believe this will be the best crown any Akielon king has ever worn.”

“You designed it, and I’m making it.  Of course it will be.”  She gave Laurent’s shoulder a quick squeeze.  “And he’ll love it, so long as he stops interrupting our meetings.”

“I’ll ensure he does.  Thank you.”

“I’ll send you updates as I go.  Make sure they get the jewels to me on time, otherwise progress will halt.  That goes for your husband’s crown too.  Talla and I might be the greatest, but even we are halted by lack of materials.”

“Of course.  Anything you two need will be provided.”  Laurent straightened up, heading for the door.  “Until next time.”

“Until next time, my King!” she called as Damen all but rushed them out the door.

“You’re worse than a child,” Laurent scoffed as they strolled back to their rooms.  “You couldn’t wait five minutes for me to finish  _ your _ crown _. _  If you keep interrupting us, I’m going back to my actual chambers until the wedding.”

Damen’s eyes narrowed.  “Low blow, Laurent.  Low blow.  But fine, I’ll quit interrupting.”  He reached for Laurent’s hand, swinging it between them as they walked.  “You know I’ll love whatever you make.”

“Yes, but you love everything.  I need to make sure that it’s appropriate, with equal Veretian and Akielon influence, and that you’ll still like it-”

“Laurent.”

“Mhm?”

“I’m going to love it.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you don’t accept anything less than perfection.”

Laurent quirked an eyebrow.  “I accepted you, didn’t I?”

Damen separated their hands in mock outrage, crossing his arms.  “And to think, I was going to let you see a sketch of your crown.”

“Wait, no, I take it back!”

“Too late!”

“Damen, come on!”  Laurent pressed a kiss to Damen’s lips, curling his dark locks around his fingers.  “Please.”  

Damen melted beneath him, his lips warm and inviting.  Just as Laurent was about to cave and kiss him again, Damen kissed his forehead with a smile.

“Let me see.”  Damen shook his head, peppering his face with kisses.  “Damen!”

“I was never going to let you see a sketch, anyways.  It’s bad luck.”

Laurent scowled, but couldn’t hold it for long beneath the quick kisses.  “Tease.”

“Lover.”

“Mine.”

“Yes, Laurent.  I’m all yours.”

* * *

 

Laurent straightened his laces, unable to keep still.  He wished he could reach out and hold Damen’s hand, but he was standing on the other side of the table.  They had to stand at opposite ends so that the guests could view the crowns as they came out.

“King Laurent of Vere, would you crown this man as your equal?” the officiant boomed, her voice echoing off the marbles walls.  

“I will.”

“Bring in King Damianos of Akielos’s crown!”

A young Akielon girl appeared at the end of the aisle they had walked down at the beginning of the ceremony, proudly holding Damen’s crown.  As it came closer and closer into view, Laurent felt his heart pound, harder and harder and harder.  He couldn’t help but watch Damen as he caught a look of it for the first time.

True, the gold band looked simple from far away, but the devil was in the details.  He watched as Damen took in the golden leaves that made up the base and the gleaming emeralds that dotted the stems of the leaves.  The leaves would curl around the sides of his head, and the ruby starburst would fall directly in the center of his head.  It was everything he had hoped for and more, and the look in Damen’s face made him fall to pieces.

He took the band from the girl with shaking hands as he and Damen met at the front of the table.  Damen knelt before him, head downcast.  “Do you accept this crown, Damianos, before the gods of old and the gods of new, before friends and family, before the dawn and the dusk, before you and me?”  

Damen nodded, visibly swallowing as he recited, “I accept this crown, Laurent, before the gods of new and old, before family and friends, before the dusk and the dawn, before you and me.”  Laurent lowered the crown onto his head, his heart catching in his throat.  “I accept you,” Damen whispered, taking Laurent’s hands as he rose.

They returned to their respective ends of the table with great hesitation, and Laurent almost felt physically unable to take his hands away from Damen’s.  

“King Damianos of Akielos, would you crown this man as your equal?”

“I will.”  Damen’s eyes shone out from underneath his dark curls, and Laurent felt his heart stop.

“Bring in King Laurent of Vere’s crown!”

Laurent kept his eyes drilled into the Veretian girl’s hands as she walked the aisle, the crown in her hands shining with sunlight.  He immediately looked back at Damen, who smiled with a brightness to rival the sun.

It was also a band, but the two could not have been more different.  Gold and silver were beautifully intertwined in the subtle carvings of lions and stars along the band.  It rose in four peaks, each blessed with a sapphire stone in the middle of each peak.  As it drew closer, he could see that sapphires dotted the whole crown, amongst the stars and the lions.

He didn’t believe he was breathing.

He knelt before Damen, ears ringing even as Damen spoke.  “Do you accept this crown, Laurent, before the gods of old and new, before blood of the covenant and water of the womb, before the stars of night and the lions of day, before you and me?”

Laurent’s throat felt thick.  “I accept this crown, Damianos, before the gods of new and old, before water of the womb and blood of the covenant, before the lions of day and the stars of night, before you and me.”  The crown was a welcome weight upon his head.  “I accept you.”

He didn’t even hear the officiant’s final words as he rose and kissed Damen for all he was worth.

* * *

 

“Why a starburst?” Damen asked, holding Laurent as they laid in bed.

“Because it’s my sigil.  Beyond the sign of a crown prince, the starburst is my family’s sigil.  I do want some claim to you.”  Laurent played with Damen’s hairs as he curled into Damen’s warmth.  “And I thought you knew that.”

He could have felt Damen’s eye roll through a wall.  “I did, and I’m all yours, Laurent.  I just wanted to hear that you wanted me.”  Damen paused, chuckling darkly.  “And I thought you knew that I was yours,” he mocked.  

“Yes, but it’s nice to let everyone else know.”  He paused a moment, tangling his fingers deep in Damen’s hair.  “Why sapphire?”

Damen went quiet, reveling in the small massage Laurent gave him.  Laurent loved nothing more than massaging his head, because it gave him an excuse to play with his hair.  

“You always wear blue, it’s part of your family.  I don’t think that I saw you in anything but blue until you wore that chiton.”

Laurent smiled.  “You broke a pitcher.”

“That did not happen, and let me finish.  I always associate you with blue, and I wanted for you to maintain that independence.”  He could feel Damen take a deep breath, his thick chest expand until his back was against Laurent’s chest.  “I thought of your eyes.  I thought of those same eyes shining out from Auguste’s helmet, and I thought of how you two have the same eyes.  I thought of your little brother and his sapphire earring that you still have, and of all that you loved about him.  I thought about how I think of blue and all I can think of is you.  I thought of your family, and of you, and I just knew.  I wanted it to be a reminder of everything, and still wholly you.  It had to be sapphire.”

His breath caught in his throat, and he pulled Damen tighter.  

“Good answer, then?” Damen asked as Laurent reached over and kissed his cheek.

“Best answer.”  Laurent held tight to Damen, burying his head in Damen’s neck.  “Thank you, Damianos.”

“I love you, Laurent.  And I’ll do anything for you.”

“I love you too, Damen.  I love you too.”

And as they held each other, the sapphire boy and golden prince looked down and knew their iron king had found long-deserved peace.


End file.
